The present invention is directed toward a bolt for securing a door or gate, and more particularly, toward a lockable bolt for securing a door or gate which bolt cannot be raised when the door or gate is closed.
Gates for selectively providing access to an enclosed area or for controlling access to a street, driveway or other pathway, are generally mounted between two spaced apart supports, which in turn may be part of a wall or fence. A pair of gates is often used, one gate being hingedly attached to each of the spaced-apart supports. The gates have inner edges which are juxtaposed or may even meet when the gates are both in a closed position, and one or both of the gates can be opened to allow a person or vehicle to pass therebetween.
It is known to secure such gates by using a cane bolt on a first one of the gates which bolt can be extended past the lower surface of the gate and into an opening in the ground. When the cane bolt is in this lowered position, the first gate cannot be moved. The cane bolt often includes an angled upper end that can be grasped by a user to lift the bolt from the round so that the gate can be opened. The first or second gate also includes another lock for securing the first gate to the second gate. This other lock may be an ordinary key-operated lock with a sliding bolt that extends between the first and second gates; alternately, a chain may be passed through a portion of each gate and secured with a padlock. However, in any such arrangement, the first gate is secured with respect to the ground and the second gate is secured to the first gate (and, optionally, to the ground with a second cane bolt).
If a cane bolt is used on a gate with openings, such as a gate formed from spaced-apart vertical bars, it may be possible for a person to reach through the bars and raise the cane bolt. With the bolt thus raised, it becomes easier to break the second lock by applying a force against the gates where they meet. Even when the cane bolt cannot be reached through the gate, it may be possible to insert a screwdriver or similar tool underneath a gate and raise the cane bolt out of the ground. Unless the gate is spaced from the ground by the smallest of clearances, a determined individual will likely be able to raise the cane bolt.
The cane bolt itself could be locked with a padlock to hold it in place, but this is expensive and makes a gate more difficult to open. It would therefore be desirable to provide a mechanism for securing a cane bolt that does not require the use of a padlock or separate key, that can be used even on gates having spaced-apart vertical bars, and that allows the cane bolt to be operated by a user in a manner similar to existing cane bolts.
These problems and others are addressed by the present invention which comprises a cane bolt that can be held in place by a simple, hand-operated mechanism which is inaccessible when the gate is closed. In a preferred embodiment, the securable cane bolt comprises a fastening member that extends through the cane bolt and into a portion of the gate so that the cane bolt cannot be moved until the fastening member is released. Preferably, the fastening member comprises a spring-biased pin or plunger that is biased into a locking position but which can be retracted against the force of the spring to release the fastener. Furthermore, the fastening member is preferably housed in a recess which itself is covered when the two opposing gates are closed, but easily accessible when the gates are opened. Thus, the cane bolt is mounted on one of the two gates and inserted into the ground in a known manner. However, a fastener is used to hold the cane bolt in place in a lower position. When the second gate is closed, the recess housing the securable cane bolt is covered by the second gate leaving the fastening member inaccessible.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a mechanism for securing a pair of gates.
It is another object of the invention to provide a cane bolt that can be fixed in one or more positions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cane bolt in a first gate with a fastening member that is inaccessible when a second gate is closed against the first gate.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cane bolt that cannot be raised when two gates are closed.
It is a still a further object of the present invention to provide a securable cane bolt that can be secured in two or more positions.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a securable cane-bolt that includes a spring-biased fastening mechanism.